Amitabha Buddha

The founder of what is now called Pure Land Buddhism, Amitabha was the "Buddha of Boundless Light" who was said to have promised the creation of a special place of bliss (the Pure Land) open to all who called upon his name. For many Buddhists in China and Japan, Amitabha has become "the Buddha," expressing universal Buddha nature.

(See also Buddhism, Development of)

Sources: Ellwood, Robert S., and Barbara A. McGraw. Many Peoples, Many Faiths. 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999.